Scott Gomez and Nigel Dawes scored for the Rangers in their 3-1 home win over the Islanders last night. / Frank Franklin II/The Associated Press

Written by

Sam Borden

Journal News columnist

NEW YORK - Tom Renney is unusual, at least among New York coaches/managers, in that he readily admits to reading his own press. Joe Torre swore he didn't read the papers but you could almost see the newsprint on his fingers as he said it; it wasn't uncommon to watch Torre walk from his office to the workout room with a stack of papers in his arms.

Others, like Willie Randolph and Isiah Thomas, feigned relative ignorance yet always seemed to know what was being said. Same with Tom Coughlin. But Renney, when asked last night how much he follows the public perception of the Rangers, said he believes it is part of his job.

So he reads. And listens. And knows that over the past few weeks the words haven't been particularly flattering about a team that came into last night's game against the Islanders having won one of its last nine. There has been plenty of vitriol directed at Renney, too, and as debate over whether he should keep his job has heightened, the coach has not shied away from the furor. He is well aware of what is being said.

"I can't live in a fantasy world," he said. "This is reality. (But) I don't let it consume me."

That is, at the very least, a healthy approach. Yet Renney's status certainly has consumed many Rangers fans, some of whom needed little provocation to boo at the Garden last night even as the Rangers beat the Islanders, 3-1. Patience has never been a New York virtue and the Rangers, who were a first-place team early in the season, are in a tight race just to make the playoffs with 23 games to go. Fuses are shorter than cigarettes right now.

The criticisms, of course, are reasonable. Even Renney knows that. Yet the point of an in-season coaching move is to inspire change, to turn a team around, to save an underachieving group from disaster. And firing Renney today or tomorrow or Saturday wouldn't accomplish any of those.

Renney may very well get let go this offseason, and if he does, that is an understandable choice for the Rangers to make. But dropping him now is a) not best for the long-term future of the franchise; and b) not likely to make much difference in how the Rangers ultimately do this season.

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In general, there are two reasons why professional coaches get fired: They have failed to get the most out of their players (like Eric Mangini with the Jets) or the players are constantly quitting on them (like Randolph with the Mets). In either one of those instances, a bloody cut at the top of the hierarchy has a reasonable chance of being rousing. Done at the right time, a switch can be the perfect spark.

With the Rangers, though, that isn't what's missing. While there have certainly been moments - like the 10-2 loss to Dallas - that raised obvious questions about the Rangers' effort, that isn't a common thread in their struggles. Renney hasn't lost the locker room and the Rangers certainly skated hard last night, showing plenty of energy, particularly during a 10-man scrum in the second period that featured the diminutive Petr Prucha mixing it up to roars from the sellout crowd.

No, the Rangers' biggest problem is talent. The best teams in the NHL have great goaltending and at least one, if not a couple of go-to scorers. The Rangers, as presently constituted, have only half that formula.

If anything, GM Glen Sather deserves blame for failing to adequately replace Jaromir Jagr. Markus Naslund makes half as much money as Jagr, yet hasn't been anything close to even half the scorer Jagr was. And Scott Gomez - who scored the eventual game winner last night on a gift goal that prompted teammates to joke there were fans who could shoot harder than what Gomez put on net - hasn't been nearly productive enough either. "This is the way it's going to look," goalie Henrik Lundqvist said afterward. "We're a two- or three-goal scoring team."

It is their identity. That is not necessarily Renney's fault and it's not necessarily something a new coach would suddenly change. There are legitimate criticisms to be made of Renney and his roster management (including the sporadic use of Prucha), but to suggest that he's the reason for the team's sluggish offense is naïve. The Rangers just don't have the pieces.

Come summer, they may opt for a makeover. A new owner and/or new GM would be the best place to start, but neither one seems likely so new players, a new coach and (hopefully) new direction are more probable. Everyone would understand that. The Rangers could then actually take their time trying to find the next coach, and even involve him in their offseason plans.

If the Rangers are going to part ways with Renney, that would be the best approach. An in-season bloodbath would not.

"This is the way it goes," Renney said last night. "I'm being judged ... and I think that's fair."

Last night was a good night, first in a while, and the judgment continues on Saturday in Buffalo. Then comes Sunday at home to Toronto, another Garden game where a poor performance could mean the singsong chants to "Fi-re Ren-ney" will return. Thing is, no one has to tell Renney he is coaching on a precipice. So long as he's got this job, he considers it his responsibility to read all about it.